Community exchange and time currencies: a systematic and in-depth thematic review of impact on public health outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: Austerity in government funding, and public service reform, has heightened expectations on UK communities to develop activities and resources supportive of population health and become part of a transformed place-based system of community health and social care. As non-monetary place-based approaches, Community Exchange/Time Currencies could improve social contact and cohesion, and help mobilise families, neighbourhoods, communities and their assets in beneficial ways for health. Despite this interest, the evidence base for health outcomes resulting from such initiatives is underdeveloped. STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review. METHODS: A literature review was conducted to identify evidence gaps and advance understanding of the potential of Community Exchange System. Studies were quality assessed, and evidence was synthesised on 'typology', population targeted and health-related and wider community outcomes. RESULTS: The overall study quality was low, with few using objective measures of impact on health or well-being, and none reporting costs. Many drew on qualitative accounts of impact on health, well-being and broader community outcomes. Although many studies lacked methodological rigour, there was consistent evidence of positive impacts on key indicators of health and social capital, and the data have potential to inform theory. CONCLUSIONS: Methodologies for capturing impacts are often insufficiently robust to inform policy requirements and economic assessment, and there remains a need for objective, systematic evaluation of Community Exchange and Time Currency systems. There is also a strong argument for deeper investigation of 'programme theories' underpinning these activities, to better understand what needs to be in place to trigger their potential for generating positive health and well-being outcomes.

Extracellular polymeric substance production in high rate algal oxidation ponds.

Integrated algal pond systems (IAPSs) combine anaerobic and aerobic bioprocesses to affect sewage treatment. The present work describes the isolation and partial characterisation of soluble extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) associated with microalgal bacterial flocs (MaB-flocs) generated in high rate algal oxidation ponds (HRAOPs) of an IAPS treating domestic sewage. Productivity and change in MaB-flocs concentration, measured as mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) between morning (MLSSAM) and evening (MLSSPM) were monitored and the substructure of the MaB-flocs matrix examined by biochemical analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Results show that MaB-flocs from HRAOPs are assemblages of microorganisms produced as discrete aggregates as a result of microbial EPS production. Formation and accumulation of the EPS was stimulated by light. Analysis by FT-IR revealed characteristic carbohydrate enrichment of these polymeric substances. In contrast, FT-IR spectra of EPSs from dark-incubated MaB-flocs confirmed that these polymers contained increased aliphatic and aromatic functionalities relative to carbohydrates. These differences, it was concluded, were due to dark-induced transition from phototrophic to heterotrophic metabolism. The results negate microalgal cell death as a contributor to elevated chemical oxygen demand of IAPS treated water.

A Randomised Controlled Trial of a Universal Bonding Agent at Three Years: Self Etch vs Total Etch.

General dental practice is increasingly being recognised as the ideal situation for the conduct of clinical trials into the longevity of restorations. The aim of this study was to investigate the survival of 64 nanofilled resin composite (Filtek Supreme XTE) restorations placed principally in loadbearing cavities using a Universal dentine bonding agent (Scotchbond Universal), in five UK dental practices by members of the UK-based practice-based research group, the PREP Panel. A split mouth design was used, comprising patients who required two restorations, with one of the restorations receiving a total etch approach using phosphoric acid and the other being placed using a self-etch approach. The results indicated good performance of the restorations examined, with no difference, in terms of marginal characteristics, between the restorations which received total etching and those which did not.

Operation of an integrated algae pond system for the treatment of municipal sewage: a South African case study.

Integrated algae pond systems (IAPS) combine the use of anaerobic and aerobic bioprocesses to effect sewage treatment. In the present work, the performance of IAPS was evaluated to determine the efficiency of this technology for treatment of municipal sewage under South African conditions. Composite samples were analysed over an 8 month period before and after tertiary treatment. Spectrophotometric assays indicated that the treated water from this IAPS was compliant with the discharge limits for phosphate-P, ammonium-N and nitrate/nitrite-N, and mean values were: 5.3, 2.9 and 12.4 mg L(-1), respectively. Chemical oxygen demand (COD), however, fluctuated significantly and was dependent on full function of the IAPS. Mean COD of the final treated water was 72.2 mg L(-1). Although these results suggest that the treated water discharged from this IAPS operating under South African conditions meets the standard for discharge, mean total suspended solids (TSS) was routinely above the limit at 34.5 ± 13 mg L(-1) and faecal coliforms were higher than expected. Tertiary treatment using a maturation pond series (MPS), slow sand filtration (SSF), or a controlled rock filter (CRF) ensured that the final treated water from the IAPS was of a quality suitable for discharge to the environment with CRF > SSF > MPS.

Addressing health inequalities in times of austerity: implementation of a place-based approach in multitiered local government.

AIMS: This article focuses on how local authorities in England are tackling wider determinants of health and inequalities in their population's outcomes while budgets for public services are diminishing. METHODS: It reports the experience from one case study engaged in rolling out a devolved, place- and asset-based strategy over multiple tiers of local government. Relating these findings to relevant social theory, we draw out aspects of context and mechanisms of change. We offer plausible hypotheses for the experiences observed, which supports transferability and implementation of place-based strategies in other local authority areas struggling with similar challenges. RESULTS: Findings highlight the importance of high-level and political buy-in, as well as the role of the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential catalyst to rollout. Creating the foundations for a new, place-based working was important for achieving coherence among partners around what local government was trying to achieve. These included investment in infrastructure, both relational and tangible inputs such as organisational and human resources, to establish the conditions for systemic change towards early intervention and prevention. CONCLUSION: This study identified clear foundations for place-based action, plus enablers and barriers to significant transformation of practice towards asset-based approaches between local authorities, partners and the public.

Biological degradation and solubilisation of coal.

This review focuses on ligninolytic fungi, soil bacteria, plants and root exudates in the degradation and solubilisation of low grade and waste coal and the interaction between these mutualistic biocatalysts. Coal represents a considerable portion of the total global fossil fuel reserve and continued demand for, and supply of this resource generates vast quantities of spoil and low grade waste. Large scale bioremediation technologies for the beneficiation of waste coal have unfortunately not yet been realised despite the many discoveries of microorganisms capable of lignite, lignin, and humic acid breakdown. Even so, solubilisation and depolymerization of low grade coal appears to involve either ligninolytic enzyme action or the production of alkaline substances or both. While the precise mechanism of coal biosolubilisation is unclear, a model for the phyto-biodegradation of low rank coal by mutualistic interaction between ligninolytic microorganisms and higher plants is proposed. Based on accumulated evidence this model suggests that solubilisation and degradation of lignite and waste coals commences upon plant root exudate and ligninolytic microorganism interaction, which is mutualistic, and includes soil bacteria and both mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal fungi. It is envisaged that this model and its further elaboration will aid in the development of functional technologies for commercial bioremediation of coal mine spoils, contribute to soil formation, and the overall biogeochemistry of organic carbon in the global ecosystem.

Isolation of bacteria with plant growth-promoting properties from microalgae-bacterial flocs produced in high-rate oxidation ponds.

Exploring plant growth-promoting (PGP) bacterial activity of microbial components aggregated by wastewater treatment can reduce dependence on fossil fuel-derived fertilisers. This study describes the isolation and identification of bacteria from microalgae-bacteria flocs (MaB-flocs) generated in high-rate algal oxidation ponds (HRAOP) of an integrated algal pond system (IAPS) remediating municipal wastewater. Amplified 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis determined the molecular identity of the individual strains. Genetic relatedness to known PGP rhizobacteria in the NCBI GenBank database was by metagenomics. Isolated strains were screened for the production of indoles (measured as indole-3-acetic acid; IAA) and an ability to mineralise NH4+, PO43-, and K + . Of the twelve bacterial strains isolated from HRAOP MaB-flocs, four produced indoles, nine mineralised NH4+, seven solubilised P, and one K. Potential of isolated strains for PGP activity according to one-way ANOVA on ranks was: ECCN 7b > ECCN 4b > ECCN 6b > ECCN 3b = ECCN 10b > ECCN 1b = ECCN 5b > ECCN 8b > ECCN 2b > ECCN 12b > ECCN 9b = ECCN 11b. Further study revealed that cell-free filtrate from indole-producing cultures of Aeromonas strain ECCN 4b, Enterobacter strain ECCN 7b, and Arthrobacter strain ECCN 6b promoted mung bean adventitious root formation suggestive of the presence of auxin-like biological activity.

"Notice of major cleaning": A qualitative study of the negative impact of encampment sweeps on the ontological security of unhoused people who use drugs.

BACKGROUND: Unhoused people who use drugs in the United States are at risk for a variety of negative health outcomes. As the crisis of houselessness continues to impact major urban areas, a wave of punitive policies has been enacted to remove visible unhoused people from public spaces. There is reason to believe that harsh policies of encampment displacement will have negative immediate and downstream impacts on this community. METHODS: Participant observation was conducted weekly or bi-weekly at unhoused encampments in Los Angeles County, USA over the course of two years (2021, 2022). Data were generated through the lens of ontological security theory via in-field jottings and comprehensive field notes. Formal, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 unhoused people who use drugs recruited primarily through peer-referral sampling at these same venues. Data were coded and analyzed thematically using the Template Analysis approach. Field notes were used to triangulate and further contextualize thematic analysis of interview data. RESULTS: Encampment sweeps impacted nearly all participants and occurred multiple times at every visited field site. They were observed to occur both with and without the presence of police, but always resulted in the loss of the personal property of encampment residents. Sweeps occurred across seasons, hazardous weather, and without offers of alternative shelter. Participants described sweeps as impacting all aspects of their ontological security, including dismantling material and social constancy, disrupting routines of daily life and resource management, increasing feelings of surveillance, and potentially creating negative identity formation. CONCLUSIONS: In both ethnographic observation and participant interviews, encampment sweeps were noted to be physically, psychologically, and socially destructive. Sweeps left participants feeling anger, loss, and hopelessness while further driving the societal marginalization of unhoused people who use drugs. Sweeps should be discontinued as they harm the capacity of unhoused people to improve their well-being.

Elaboration of an algae-to-energy system and recovery of water and nutrients from municipal sewage.

Increasing pressure is being exerted on the peri-urban space that has elevated the demand for electricity, affects the global water resource, and impacts the potential to produce food, fiber, and commodity products. Algae-based technologies and in particular algae-based sewage treatment provides an opportunity for recovery of water for recycle and re-use, sequestration of greenhouse gases, and generation of biomass. Successful coupling of municipal sewage treatment to an algae-to-energy facility depends largely on location, solar irradiance, and temperature to achieve meaningful value recovery. In this paper, an algae-to-energy sewage treatment system for implementation in southern Africa is elaborated. Using results from the continued operation of an integrated algal pond system (IAPS), it is shown that this 500-person equivalent system generates 75 kL per day water for recycle and re-use and, ∼9 kg per day biomass that can be converted to methane with a net energy yield of ∼150 MJ per day, and ∼0.5 kL per day of high nitrogen-containing liquid effluent (>1 g/L) with potential for use as organic fertilizer. It is this opportunity that IAPS-based algae-to-energy sewage treatment provides for meaningful energy and co-product recovery within the peri-urban space and, which can alleviate pressure on an already strained water-energy-food nexus.

Evaluation of oats with varying hull inclusion in broiler diets up to 35 days.

Use of local feed ingredients in poultry feed, such as oats, can be limited by their perceived less than ideal nutritional content. Dehulling oats is expensive, and it may be that removing hull is detrimental to the bird in terms of gastrointestinal (GI) development, therefore maintaining some of the high-fiber oat hull (OH) might reduce costs and improve potential for inclusion in poultry diets. Male broilers were fed diets with oats replacing 30% of wheat in diets, either dehulled or with graded inclusions of OH from day of hatch until day 35. Each diet was fed to 8 pens of 8 birds and performance recorded weekly. Samples were collected at day 21 and 35 for analysis of ileal amino acid digestibility, apparent metabolizable energy (AME), and gross gut development measures. No detrimental effect was seen on bird weight with hull inclusion, though higher inclusion levels did deleteriously effect feed intake because of increased gut fill from the fiber. Nitrogen corrected AME was also adversely effected in the highest hull inclusion diets. However, amino acid digestibility was improved with hull addition, which may be because of an increase in GI tract length, improving nutrient absorption. Gizzard development was also significantly improved, and thereby, more efficient grinding of diet may also have improved digestibility. At a lower level of hull inclusion (3% total diet) where digestibility is improved without any detrimental effects on gut fill and intake. Oat hull is well known to improve gut development, especially of the gizzard, with resultant increases in digestibility. This is usually attributed to the mechanical effect of fiber in the gizzard having a grinding effect. However in this study, all fiber was finely ground, so the improvements seen cannot be attributed to a physical cause. Oat including diets with some hull remaining are a cost effective way of using oats as a raw material while maximizing bird performance.

Computational cell biologists snowed in at Cranwell.

Cell biology is being inundated by an avalanche of data from the genomics and proteomics enterprises. The complexity and sheer volume of information threaten to overwhelm the ability of traditional cell biologists to grasp its implications and develop experimentally testable hypotheses. For this reason, some have begun to explore computational approaches towards organizing complex data into quantitative models. This requires communication and collaboration between the biological science community and and the physical and mathematical sciences communities. A recent meeting [The First International Symposium on Computational Cell Biology, Cranwell Resort, Lenox, MA, USA; 4-6 March 2001. Organizers: J.H. Carson, A. Cowan, and L.M. Loew (www.nrcam.uchc.edu/conference).] made a first attempt to bring these two communities together. Three feet of new snow fell during the meeting, but the 125 attendees, an unusual mixture of cell biologists, computer scientists, mathematicians, physicists, and engineers, were having too much fun defining the new field of computational cell biology to notice that they were literally snowed in.

Sperm exocytosis increases the amount of PH-20 antigen on the surface of guinea pig sperm.

Evidence has been presented that the PH-20 protein functions in sperm adhesion to the egg zona pellucida (Primakoff, P., H. Hyatt, and D. G. Myles, 1985, J. Cell Biol., 101:2239-2244). The PH-20 protein migrates from its original surface domain to a new surface domain after the acrosome reaction (Myles, D. G., and P. Primakoff, 1984, J. Cell Biol., 99:1634-1641). The acrosome reaction is an exocytotic event that results in insertion of a region of the secretory granule membrane, the inner acrosomal membrane (IAM), into the plasma membrane. After the acrosome reaction, PH-20 protein migrates to the IAM from its initial domain on the posterior head surface. We have now found a new dynamic feature of the regulation of PH-20 protein on the sperm surface; exocytosis increases the surface expression of PH-20 protein. After the acrosome reaction there is an approximately threefold increase in the number of PH-20 antigenic sites on the sperm surface. These new antigenic sites are revealed on the surface by insertion of the IAM into the plasma membrane. Our evidence indicates that before the acrosome reaction an intracellular population of PH-20 antigen is localized to the IAM. When migration of the surface population of the PH-20 protein is prevented, PH-20 protein can still be detected on the IAM of acrosome-reacted sperm. Also, PH-20 protein can be detected on the IAM of permeabilized acrosome-intact sperm by indirect immunofluorescence. Thus, the sperm cell regulates the amount of PH-20 protein on its surface by sequestering about two-thirds of the protein on an intracellular membrane and subsequently exposing this population on the cell surface by an exocytotic event. This may be a general mechanism for regulating cell surface composition where a rapid increase in the amount of a cell surface protein is required.

Lateral diffusion of the PH-20 protein on guinea pig sperm: evidence that barriers to diffusion maintain plasma membrane domains in mammalian sperm.

PH-20 protein on the plasma membrane (PH-20PM) is restricted to the posterior head of acrosome-intact guinea pig sperm. During the exocytotic acrosome reaction the inner acrosomal membrane (IAM) becomes continuous with the posterior head plasma membrane, and PH-20PM migrates to the IAM. There it joins a second population of PH-20 protein localized to this region of the acrosomal membrane (PH-20AM) (Cowan, A.E., P. Primakoff, and D.G. Myles, 1986, J. Cell Biol. 103:1289-1297). To investigate how the localized distributions of PH-20 protein are maintained, the lateral mobility of PH-20 protein on these different membrane domains was determined using fluorescence redistribution after photobleaching. PH-20PM on the posterior head of acrosome-intact sperm was found to be mobile, with a diffusion coefficient and percent recovery typical of integral membrane proteins (D = 1.8 X 10(-10) cm2/s; %R = 73). This value of D was some 50-fold lower than that found for the lipid probe 1,1-ditetradecyl 3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (C14diI) in the same region (D = 8.9 X 10(-9) cm2/s). After migration to the IAM of acrosome-reacted sperm, this same population of molecules (PH-20PM) exhibited a 30-fold increase in diffusion rate (D = 4.9 X 10(-9) cm2/s; %R = 78). This rate was similar to diffusion of the lipid probe C14diI in the IAM (D = 5.4 X 10(-9) cm2/s). The finding of free diffusion of PH-20PM in the IAM of acrosome-reacted sperm supports the proposal that PH-20 is maintained within the IAM by a barrier to diffusion at the domain boundary. The slower diffusion of PH-20PM on the posterior head of acrosome-intact sperm is also consistent with localization by barriers to diffusion, but does not rule out alternative mechanisms.

Classification of opioids on the basis of change in seizure threshold in rats.

Twenty opioids have been subdivided into four classes by using flurothyl-induced seizures in rats to measure dose-response relationships, stereospecificity, naloxone sensitivity, and tolerance-cross-tolerance. The data support current theories of multiple opiate receptor types. Since the receptors involved mediate effects that are antagonized, enhanced, or unaffected by naloxone, the model is uniquely suitable for detecting novel narcotic antagonists that can then be used to differentiate opiate receptors in other systems.

Return to work, driving and other activities after varicose vein surgery is very variable and is influenced little by advice from specialists.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of altering written advice on return to activities following varicose vein surgery. METHODS: During two consecutive four-month periods, 134 patients (84 female, median age 57 years) were given two different information booklets. The first booklet (76 patients) suggested 7-10 days before driving and 2-3 weeks before returning to work. The second booklet (58 patients) explicitly advised return to all activities as soon as possible. Patients were contacted 6 weeks following surgery. Advice was sought from motor insurance companies about their views on return to driving. RESULTS: There was huge variation in time to driving (0-35 days, median 7), work (1-45 days, median 14) and "all normal activities" (1-62 days, median 21), but no significant differences between the two groups. There were paradoxes in the delays to driving and different types of work. Delays to driving or work were longer after bilateral surgery (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Changing written advice did not influence the time to return to activities following varicose vein surgery, which was highly variable. Other factors may influence recovery and may be challenging for specialists to change. Consistent advice is important when comparing recovery from different treatments.

Analysis of dye binding by and membrane potential in spores of Bacillus species.

AIMS: To determine roles of coats in staining Bacillus subtilis spores, and whether spores have membrane potential. METHODS AND RESULTS: Staining by four dyes and autofluorescence of B. subtilis spores that lack some (cotE, gerE) or most (cotE gerE) coat protein was measured. Wild-type, cotE and gerE spores autofluorescenced and bound dyes, but cotE gerE spores did not autofluorescence and were stained only by two dyes. A membrane potential-sensitive dye DiOC6(3) bound to dormant Bacillus megaterium and B. subtilis spores. While this binding was abolished by the protonophore FCCP, DiOC6(3) bound to heat-killed spores, but not to dormant B. subtilis cotE gerE spores. However, DiOC6(3) bound well to all germinated spores. CONCLUSIONS: The autofluorescence of dormant B. subtilis spores and the binding of some dyes are due to the coat. There is no membrane potential in dormant Bacillus spores, although membrane potential is generated when spores germinate. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The elimination of the autofluorescence of B. subtilis spores may allow assessment of the location of low abundance spore proteins using fluorescent reporter technology. The dormant spore's lack of membrane potential may allow tests of spore viability by assessing membrane potential in germinating spores.

Lack of interaction between metoclopramide and morphine in vitro and in mice.

1. This study examined interactions via common metabolism or via common pharmacodynamic pathways between frequently co-prescribed metoclopramide (a prokinetic) and morphine (an opioid analgesic). 2. In human liver microsomes, morphine 3-glucuronide and morphine 6-glucuronide formation had V(max) estimates of 6.2 +/- 0.07 and 0.75 +/- 0.01 (nmole min(-1) mg(-1) protein) and K(m) estimates of 1080 +/- 37 and 665 +/- 55 (microM), respectively. The in vitro K(i) for morphine 3-glucuronide formation in the presence of metoclopramide in human liver microsomes or recombinant uridine diphosphoglucuronosyltransferase 2B7 predicted a lack of in vivo interaction. 3. Morphine (2 mg kg(-1) subcutaneously) delayed gastrointestinal meal transit in mice, metoclopramide (10 mg kg(-1) subcutaneously) had no effect on meal transit, and metoclopramide did not alter this effect of morphine. 4. Morphine (2 or 5 mg kg(-1) subcutaneously) was antinociceptive in mice (hot plate test) and metoclopramide (10 mg kg(-1) subcutaneously) did not alter the antinociceptive effects of morphine. 5. Together, the data suggest a lack of interaction between morphine and metoclopramide.

Electromagnetic millimeter wave induced hypoalgesia: frequency dependence and involvement of endogenous opioids.

Millimeter wave treatment (MMWT) is based on the systemic biological effects that develop following local skin exposure to low power electromagnetic waves in the millimeter range. In the present set of experiments, the hypoalgesic effect of this treatment was analyzed in mice. The murine nose area was exposed to MMW of "therapeutic" frequencies: 42.25, 53.57, and 61.22 GHz. MMWT-induced hypoalgesia was shown to be frequency dependent in two experimental models: (1) the cold water tail-flick test (chronic non-neuropathic pain), and (2) the wire surface test (chronic neuropathic pain following unilateral constriction injury to the sciatic nerve). Maximum hypoalgesic effect was obtained when the frequency was 61.22 GHz. Other exposure parameters were: incident power density = 13.3 mW/cm(2), duration of each exposure = 15 min. Involvement of delta and kappa endogenous opioids in the MMWT-induced hypoalgesia was demonstrated using selective blockers of delta- and kappa-opioid receptors and the direct ELISA measurement of endogenous opioids in CNS tissue. Possible mechanisms of the effect and the perspectives of the clinical application of MMWT are discussed.

Naked oats: metabolisable energy yield from a range of varieties in broilers, cockerels and turkeys.

1. Naked oats belong to the same species as 'common oats', Avena sativa, but have a non-lignified husk which readily becomes detached during harvesting. The absence of the indigestible husk can be predicted to give an increased metabolisable energy (ME) content for poultry. 2. Measurements of true metabolisable energy (TME(N)) were performed on 3-week-old broiler chicks (Cobb males), adult cockerels (ISA Brown, greater than one year old) and 7-week-old turkeys (BUT T8 males). The measurements were repeated in 2000, 2001 and 2002, with some measurements on a subset of varieties in 2004. 3. High-oil naked oat lines yielded 12% more energy (TME(N)) than wheat. Naked oats, excluding the experimental high-oil lines, yielded 8.5% more energy than simultaneously assayed wheat samples. 4. In samples from the 2004 harvest, conventional oats gave TME(N) values about 13% lower than those of wheat. 5. The addition of beta-glucanase produced an increase of about 4% in the apparent metabolisable energy (AME) of oats for broiler chickens. This effect was associated with a 70% decrease in the jejunal viscosity of broilers receiving a 500 g/kg naked-oat diet. 6. The oil content of naked oats was about 5 times greater than that of wheat, with the high-oil lines rising to more than 6 times greater. Naked oats had a lower starch content than wheat but not sufficiently lower to negate the energy benefits of the higher oil content. The crude protein (CP) contents of naked oats were similar to those of wheat, with the high-oil varieties tending to be higher in CP also.